Thin Air
by uoduck
Summary: After being pushed through the veil, Harry Potter's spirit travels and is reborn as an airbender during the Hundred Year War. Harry/Zuko, A/B/O. Top/Alpha Harry.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Continuation of my Top Harry Drabble. I do not own either HP or Avatar.

* * *

"Haran. You shall be named Haran. I love you, son."

The baby boy blinked up at his parents, his grey eyes wide and curious as he took in the ruins around them. The boy watched his parents and reached up a hand to the omega who had birthed him and his bearer reached back, holding onto his son's little fingers tightly. The ruins of the temple around them were quiet for now, the dark of the night sending everyone else to sleep.

No one paid any mind to the airbender relics or the murals around them as they worked and lived in the temple. It had just been an empty place to live far from the Fire Nation, somewhere you had to really travel to get to and Haran was the second babe born here. No one noticed the little spinny toys blowing in the non existent wind around the family. No one noticed the small, thin piece of wood or the ring or the beautiful cloak that had appeared next to the boy. No one noticed the small puff of air he blew out of his mouth that ruffled his bearer's hair.

The Northern Air Temple housed a new generation of people, none of them airbenders, and the second baby to born amidst the ruins 82 years after the Air Nomad genocide. One of them was an inventor, who had just lost his wife, and now had to contend with a paralyzed son. But they were survivors and little Haran was as much survivor as everyone else was, perhaps even more so as he took his first breaths in this new world.

* * *

Harry looked back at the Air Temple ruins sixteen years later, standing tall and healthy at the corner of temple wall. Teo was right next to him, in the glider that Harry had helped to build.

"Are you sure about this, Harry? No one will tell anyone else that you…"

"I want to learn more about the Airbenders," Harry remarked, shrugging and pulling out the Elder Wand that had come with him. "There had to be some reason why I was born… you know…"

Teo nodded, his eyes narrowing. "You're the first Airbender to be born in a hundred years. I get it even if I can't come with you."

"I'll be on the run, Teo. And I can't imagine your father not missing you. And I don't want to draw attention to the village."

"You were always the old one in our group, Harry. You were the first to present after all."

"Hey, I'm only 16."

"You sound older. That's all, like you already know stuff. I suppose it's alright if you leave. I'll keep your secret."

"Thanks."

Harry watched as Teo turned to leave, wheeling off to join their other friends, and then sighed. There had to be a reason why he had been the first airbender in a hundred years. They didn't even know whether the Avatar was alive after all though the last trading party to come through had said something about hope being alive. And then there had been that one late afternoon when he had explored the hidden chamber within the temple, the one that held all of the past Avatars.

All of the statues of the Avatar's had lit up, their eyes glowing white. Roku, Kyoshi, all the way back up the temple building. He had felt something that night, something like an ancient power that was akin to what he was. It had felt like what conjuring a patronus did, like peace and light and safety. He had realized it that night then, realized that the Avatar was alive and had told Teo.

He drew out the Elder Wand, feeling the slight hint of his old magic hum around him. The wand answered his thought with a spark of warmth, flashing between existence and then growing. The wand itself grew until it reached Harry's height and then two limbs shot out from it at the top and two smaller ones at the bottom. Lightweight green material folded outward from both ends.

Harry grinned and the Elder Wand hummed in reply, eager to please, and then he leapt off the cliff, bending the air around him for flight. The air flowed around him and he whooped out as the night sky clung to him. This was flying on a higher level than on a broomstick and he loved it, had loved it ever since the wand had turned itself into a glider for him. He bent the air around him, feeling it on the tips of his hair.

He flew south into the night, joining any air currents when possible.

* * *

Several months later, he finally made it to the Eastern Air Temple, having flown through most of the Earth Kingdom. He saw much of the destruction and chaos that the Fire Nation had caused, likening the Fire Lord Ozai, Sozin and Azulon's reign to Hitler in his old world. Hitler had been bent on genocide himself and so had Voldemort and Grindewald. Though Hitler hadn't been particularly successful compared with the Fire Nation, Sozin had wiped out the Air Nomads with the exception of the Avatar.

Harry sighed and swept up into the clouds as he surveyed the Eastern Air Temple, seeing the devastation that Sozin had ordered. The Temple was in ruins, like the Northern Air Temple had been. He hadn't been able to learn much about the Air Nomads but he hoped… Maybe there were some surviving scrolls left in this temple.

He stretched out with a small amount of magic, searching the Temple. He didn't have much magic with him in this life, in this world, but he did have air bending. He could feel the eddies and currents of the air around him, sense the oxygen in someone's body and fly. He also had his cloak, the Resurrection stone and the Elder Wand but he only really used the wand. And occasionally the cloak.

He hadn't tried to use the stone yet though, hadn't tried to use it because he feared… He feared that he wouldn't be able to talk to his parents anymore or his friends. He was in a different world, one where if anyone in the Fire Nation got his scent, he would be chased to the ends of the world. Though if that ever happened in the near future, perhaps he could tell whoever was chasing him, that he was the Avatar and take some of the heat off the real Avatar.

He wondered where the Avatar was now, wondered if the boy had learned all four elements yet. As he had been traveling through the Earth Kingdom, he had heard about the Northern Water Tribe being attacked by the Fire Nation. Had heard that the Fire Nation had been resoundingly defeated by the Avatar and the Moon Spirit.

He didn't expect anyone in the Temple but he was proved wrong when he saw an older man down on one of the balconies. The man looked like a monk, with a long grey beard and yellow sash around his chest. As Harry was flying into land next to him, the monk peered up at him and waved, smiling.

"Hello there!"

Harry raised an eyebrow, pressing his fingers tightly into the glider/wand and feeling it shrink down. A minute later, it was the size of the Elder Wand again and he tucked it into a pocket of his pants. The monk stayed where he was, sitting cross legged and looking up at him with a huge smile, like he didn't expect any violence or any disturbance from him.

"Who are you? Are you a…"

"An air bender? No, but I can see you are. Are you by chance the Avatar?"

"No. I'm not. I was… looking for answers though so I came here."

"I am Guru Pathik. Answers may come to you at this temple or they may come to you." Guru Pathik blinked up at him as Harry walked over to him and sat down across from him, noting the subtle beta scent of the man. The man posed no threat, wasn't standing up to attack and his own magic and senses said this older monk was alright. "You are the first air bender to be born in a hundred years and yet the Avatar knows nothing about you. Were you born to an Air Nomad couple?"

"No. My name's Haran but I… my parents are refugees living in the Northern Air Temple."

"Ahh, I see. You are searching for an explanation as to why you are the first air bender born since they were all killed."

Harry sighed. "I suppose. I… This isn't…my first… circus, if you know what I'm saying."

Guru Pathik blinked, his eyes lighting up with interest. "I lived among the Air Nomads before the Fire Nation began its war. There were many knowledgeable men and women amongst the Temples and now there are only you, the Avatar and me."

"I could talk with the Avatar but I've heard he's only a boy."

The monk's eyes narrowed as he stared at him, dipping his head in a nod. "You are the one that I dreamt of a very long time ago. You and the Avatar's fates are entwined, the only two Air Nomads living. You can draw on the dead to ask your questions and yet yo do not. Why is that?"

Harry started, his eyes widening, his arms rising up and then dropping down to his lap. "You dreamt of me? The air bender who can talk with the dead?"

"Yes, you and the Avatar. I dreamt I would be able to help both of you if I came here."

Pathik studied him, remaining quiet for the next few minutes as Harry pondered his words. Birds chirped around them and some even came to perch on the monk's shoulders and legs, making Harry miss Hedwig. His old friend had been gone for a long time by the time Harry had died.

"The Avatar can talk with his past lives," Pathik remarked, shrugging slightly to not jostle the animals on his shoulders. He dipped his hand into a pocket in his clothes and pulled out some bird seed. The birds flocked to his hands, some small enough to fit in his palm. "Why do you not feel the same?"

"I don't… Before I… came here, I could talk with my friends and family from before. I don't even know if the rock will work now, in a different world and with a different body."

"The magic did not follow the body, Haran. It followed your soul and your soul was delivered here, to become an airbender. For what reason, you may yet find out if you wait with me here for a few days."

Harry raised an eyebrow and then stretched his body, standing up. "At least, I had my heat a few days ago. I don't have anything to distract me while I explore this temple."

Pathik dipped his head in a nod and then flopped back, disrupting the birds who had finished their seeds, onto the stone ground. "I will be here if you have other questions."

"Hermione would be so pleased to see me now," Harry muttered as he walked off, stepping over some ruins of the temple. He really didn't expect to find anything else as he wandered through the three mountains that housed the temple.

There were three pagodas of the temple, each connected by bridges that were toiling into disrepair. There were wisps of spiritual energy everywhere he looked and as he peered right at one, it turned into an older woman, who had an arrow on her bald head. Harry flinched and continued walking, turning down a narrow hallway of one of the pagodas and finding a pile of skeletons. Skeletons that wore tatters of Air Nomad clothing were surrounded by helmets of Fire Nation soldiers. The wisps of energy in the hall all turned into women, some old, some young while others were just children, all with wide, fearful eyes. Shouts and cries filled the hallway, screams and the smell of burning flesh filled his nose and he ran, backing up and out of the temple itself and down into one of the smaller buildings. He breathed a sigh of relief at the fresh air and looked around at where he had ended up as his heart slowed down.

This building looked like it was used as a stable, big windows opening up to the outside on the walls. Though there was no glass in the windows now, probably having been burned out by the fire benders. He wondered what kind of animal the Air Nomads used that lived in stables as big as this, noting the big, metal ring in the center of the aisle. Perhaps a teething ring for young animals with big jaws.

He hesitated at going further into the stables, hearing the scratching and clawing and cries of spider bats further inward. Harry sighed again and then headed the way he came, walking over the bridge again and heading into the main pagoda, looking up at the beheaded statue of a past airbender. Or maybe it was a past Avatar. He idly looked around for the head of the statue and saw it in the corner, walking over towards it and staring down at it.

He let out a noise of consideration and then moved into a bending stance, sweeping his feet around and bent the air underneath the head of stone. He breathed into the moves and watched as he bent the stone head up, up, up onto the shoulders of the statue. A statue of a middle aged woman sat before him, her long hair flowing down on her back and her arms crossed in front of her.

The arrow was once again on her forehead, like his scar had been on his in his old world.

"I was Avatar long ago, the Air Nomad chosen before Aang."

Harry let out a quiet yelp and turned to his left, seeing the hazy, spirit next to him. The woman looked like she was in her mid 60's, her grey hair curling around her in a braid. It made her look fierce, despite what Harry knew of the Air Nomads.

"So it was… you, Kuruk, Kyoshi, Roku and then Aang?"

"Yes. You are the one who can see the long dead. You have a very strong connection to the spirit world, young one."

He sighed as he studied her. She looked like she was about to drift off, like she wouldn't be here for very long. "I have… questions."

Avatar Yangchen peered at him with her grey eyes. "I do not know who brought you here, young Air Nomad, but I am pleased. You and Aang need to meet each other. You are young and yet very old. He will need guidance."

"But…"

"You are a natural airbender. Whoever brought you here must have seen that. Together, perhaps you and Aang can rebuild the Air Nomads."

"Alright. But what about your culture? I wasn't born when your culture was still alive."

Yangchen's eyes narrowed and then she turned, whistling to the other spirits around her. "Some of us have trouble getting to the spirit world, young man. If we tell you all, will you aid them in traveling to the spirit world?"

"How come they have trouble? Shouldn't it be…"

"Spirits of a violent death often have trouble finding their way."

Harry nodded and then gestured to the outside of the temple, to the late evening sun. "It'd be nice to do this outside, I think."

* * *

By the time Harry was finished guiding the spirits to the spirit world, night had fallen and the remains of his dinner sat next to him. The spirit of Avatar Yangchen had since vanished and Harry was alone but for Guru Pathik, who he had rejoined. The stars twinkled above them in a cloudless sky and Harry now knew a lot about the Air Nomad culture and what the world had lost when Fire Lord Sozin had wiped them out.

Being the spiritual aid to the spirits had exhausted him mentally and physically, and he had learned how to meditate into the spirit world. He exchanged idle glances with the Guru and then flopped backward onto the stone underneath him, curling the cloak around him for warmth. Sleep met him easily as the settled spiritual energy around him lulled him into dreamland.

* * *

A rough tongue met him late at night as it licked up his face. He yelped, startling awake and jolting upward only to hit the big head of the creature who had awoken him. Harry's eyes widened as he looked up at the animal that had joined him and the monk, seeing the six feet and the large body. It almost looked like a bison, with big, sturdy looking horns that jutted out of its head. He knew that the ghostly airbenders had said that they bonded with air bison but he hadn't imagined… This sky bison was huge.

It also had an arrow that spanned the length of its body, from head to really big tail.

"He is a sky bison," Guru Pathik remarked quietly. "One in pain."

Harry watched as the bison stared down at them with dark brown eyes, eyes that spoke of pain and fear. Though there was at least a little confusion in them too as he looked Harry over. His heart skipped a beat at the look and realized what the bison thought of him.

"Oh, I'm not the Avatar. I'm sorry," Harry whispered, tentatively reaching out a hand to wait. "But you look like you've been through some shit."

"He is looking for Aang," Pathik said, searching the bison's eyes. "They were the first airbenders and this one has been through a lot."

Harry started to get up but then the bison growled, glaring down at them. He sat back down, crossing his legs, and Guru Pathik copied him, grinning a little. The moon was still out, still shining brightly down at them and Harry smiled a little, looking up at the bison.

"You're alright now. We won't hurt you."

The bison growled again, this time a little quieter, but Harry stayed on the ground, hearing Pathik start to snore. Harry slowly fell back asleep too, dropping his arm to the ground and curling up in his cloak.

* * *

Loud, snuffling breaths woke him up a few hours later, accompanied by the first few streams of light. Harry slowly woke up, blinking his eyes open, seeing Pathik wake up as well. The older man gestured up to the small meditation circle over on the high cliff.

"Go get some fruit and make a trail up there so our friend knows where we are."

Harry nodded and quietly stood up, stretching and rocking on the heels of his feet before walking off to gather the fruit. As he gathered enough fruit, chewing on one piece, he laid a trail up to the meditation spot, joining the Guru and sitting down to wait.

The bison woke up not an hour later and Harry watched in delight as the creature began to follow his trail, chewing on each piece of fruit that Harry had laid out. The sky bison trotted up the cliff, leaving little puffs of air in his wake and finally made it up to where Harry was standing.

Guru Pathik stood next to him, a rolled up piece of parchment in his hands. "Ahhh, it is good to see you, my friend. I hope you slept well."

The bison grumbled low in his throat and Harry grinned and held out a tentative hand. The sky bison took a step closer and touched his nose to Harry's palm, snuffling and gave him a lick.

"You're friends with the Avatar, right?" Harry questioned.

The bison dipped his head in a nod, looking at him like they were already friends, like he could sense the air bender spirit within him. Harry grinned back and stroked the bison's nose and muzzle, enjoying wrapping his fingers within the thick strands of fur.

"I can see where Aang is, with your permission," Guru Pathik offered, stepping closer to. "Your energy is entwined with the Avatar's."

The bison groaned out happily and flopped onto his side, offering them his belly. Harry smiled even wider and watched as Guru Pathik reached out with his hand and tracked the bison's chakras, speaking in soft words to the creature.

"You were full of so much love but fear is moving in where trust should be. I had a vision of helping the Avatar and yourself long before today and now I can help you both. I can help the Avatar gain control of his Avatar State. Ahh, here. You know where the Avatar is in your heart now."

The bison groaned contentedly and as soon as Guru Pathik stood back, the animal shuffled up and onto his legs.

"Mind if I attach this to your horn? It is for the Avatar."

The bison nodded and Guru Pathik reached up, tying the parchment to one of the creature's horns.

"I'm coming with you too," Harry whispered, looking into the bison's eyes. "I want to meet the Avatar and reveal myself. I hope my presence won't be a bother."

The bison rumbled deep in his throat and nudged his head right into Harry's chest. Harry laughed and stroked his fur, a meeting of kin, of airbender meeting original airbender. He had always felt alone before, missing something that he didn't know, but now… Harry already had his things packed up in a duffel and leapt up, bending the air around him to aid in his jump up onto the bison's back.

The bison roared out happily, loud and overjoyed as Harry settled onto his back.

"Take care, Haran."

"You too. Thanks for the advice." Harry bowed to the older man and then felt the bison's muscles clench beneath him and they lifted up and off into the sky. Harry whooped out and the bison roared again, beating his tail heavily as they flew.

"It'll be nice to know your name," Harry whispered, melting into the bison's fur and holding on tightly. The bison rumbled again, low in his throat, almost like a laugh and Harry grinned, watching the ground pass beneath them.

* * *

It was a week of flying until they reached the capital of the Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se. Harry's eyes widened as they reached the big, walled in city, with the three rings and the walls surrounding them. Night had fallen as they reached the Inner Ring, having bypassed the Outer Wall and the Inner Wall as well as the farmland that was between the Outer Wall and the city itself.

Harry slipped down onto the bison's head, the better to see the city down below. "This is the biggest city I've seen in… so many years. So many."

The bison underneath him groaned and slowed down in the air, below the clouds in the sky, and hovered briefly, his ears perking up. Harry raised an eyebrow and held on as the bison dived down to the city, skimming above rooftops before finding a place to land. Harry looked around at the city as they landed in the tiny square, seeing the guy in a green and black robe that had a green circle edged in gold on the chest in front of them.

The man held a whistle to his lips and smirked at them, the overbearing alpha scent of the man filling the air. "Good to see you have good hearing, bison. You are to stay with me for the time being. I have plans to tend to."

Harry's eyes narrowed and he flipped off his cloak and moved to bend the air around him, pushing it forward just as the guy moved into a bending stance. Harry pushed the air towards the man in an air spear, pushing the guy onto his back. The man yelled out in surprise, having not seen Harry under the cloak.

"Who are you? What…"

Harry slipped down from the bison's back, sparing a glance to him. "Whatever your name is, roar and roar loudly. The Avatar will hopefully hear you. I'll keep this man back."

The man in the green robe backed up, moving rapidly to bend the earth around them right at Harry. The bison behind Harry roared, loud and angry, pissed off. Harry bent the air near him and pushed the piece of earth off to the left, skipping circles around the man as the guy stayed planted in the stone.

Torches were lit and the citizens of the Earth Kingdom woke up around them. Yells filled the air and Harry dodged out of the way of a pair of earthen handcuffs, leaping up into the air and bending the air in another spear right at the man, vaguely wondering who he was. It had seemed like the guy had known who the bison was, had known the bison was the Avatar's companion.

He rolled across a wall next to him, staying in front of the bison, and came up close to the man and pushed. The man yelped and flew backward and then glowing filled the air and Harry turned to look, to the north where it was coming from.

The Avatar had arrived, a glider in his hands, and an arrow on his head, as he practically flew into the small square. Three teenagers came after him, their eyes wide. Harry could sense bending energy in two of them, possibly one water bender and one earth bender as they all surrounded the bison and Harry.

In the chaos, the man had fled and Harry slowly dropped down to the ground, taking in the young boy who was the only other human airbender in the world. His eyes were glowing but the light slowly faded and grey eyes took their place, grey, wide eyes.

"APPA!"

Harry grinned as all four kids went straight for the bison, with the Avatar jumping right onto the newly named Appa's head. There was a smaller, lemur like animal who flew onto Appa's head too, wrapping its winglike hands around Appa's fur. They stayed like that for a few minutes of companionable silence, the quiet filled with joy.

Harry took in the appearance of the Avatar, seeing the young boy in front of him. He looked to be around 12 years old but Harry knew and could sense the Avatar spirit within him. This kid was more than 112 years old, given the way that the Avatar cycle worked. And the Avatar had been around for hundreds of years, perhaps even thousands.

The Avatar was also a beta while the waterbender girl was an alpha. The earthbender girl was another alpha and the nonbender boy was an alpha too, their scents mingling with their respective bending abilities.

"Uh… I hate to be the one to break the quiet but uh, Aang, did you see him airbend?"

Harry's lips twitched up at the remark, coming from the earthbender, the blind girl that was staring right at him. The little magic he had hummed underneath his skin and the air tickled his hair, his alpha center perking up at a delicious scent. He turned to look around at the rooftops that surrounded them, trying to see where that scent was coming from.

The scent of fire, of pain, fear and anger and omega. His mate. He inhaled deeply, pulling in some air that circled a few houses away and scented that and then the teenagers in front of him drew his attention. Aang, the Avatar, the only other human airbender, looked at him with wide eyes. Eyes that had seen a lot already and that would see so much more.

"My name's Haran, but you can call me Harry. I'm from the Northern Air Temple," Harry said, shrugging. "I was born there 16 years ago and I can airbend."

Aang continued to stare at him, blinking and rubbing his eyes.

"I want to join your group," Harry finished, looking to Appa, who rumbled. "Besides, I think Ba Sing Se is in trouble, at least politically speaking. Or in trouble from the Fire Nation too. I saw that drill as Appa and I flew in."

Tears pooled in Aang's eyes. "You… really are an airbender."


	2. Chapter 2

"You… I'm not the last airbender?" Aang questioned, peering up at the older boy. He wiped his eyes as tears pooled, his heart racing as he blinked. Katara, Sokka and Toph all stared at the boy too though Aang was paying attention to only Harry. Harry was wearing Air Nomad clothing, an orange sash of clothing running diagonal over a red and yellow shirt. There was no arrow tattoo on the boy's head, a head of wild, black hair covering his scalp. Harry's eyes were grey, mirroring most of the Air Nomads Aang remembered, but they had a distinct greenish twinkle to them. "You can really airbend?"

Haran, or Harry as he said to call him, nodded and held up his hands, moving them in a spiral movement. Cool air flowed through the small alleyway in Ba Sing Se and Aang let out a strangled cry, closing the distance between him and the boy and burrowing into the boy's hurriedly outstretched arms.

Aang's heart beat wildly and fast as Harry's arms wrapped around him, holding him tight.

"I feel like I know you already," Harry whispered lightly.

"You're not alone anymore."

Tears fell on his cheeks and he felt Harry rubbing soothing circles on his back. Appa rumbled happily deep in his throat and Aang smiled. "I thought I was alone. How… How can this be?"

Harry pulled back a little and looked him over, his eyes narrowed in thought. "I don't rightly know. I… It's a long story."

"Well, why don't we go back to our place? We're in the middle of the Inner Circle and it's creeping me out," Sokka suggested. "Besides, what was Long Feng doing here?"

"Long Feng," Aang muttered, pulling away from Harry and walking over to hug Appa again. "He must have taken Appa!"

"I don't… think so," Harry offered, taking a step back and shrugging. "He said something about having plans. He didn't see me on Appa's back so he didn't feel the need for secrecy. But yeah, that was his intention, to take Appa."

"How come he couldn't see you? We can see you."

"I can't see him! Another version of Twinkle Toes. Ahh, man."

"Toph! He's another airbender!"

"I know that! You're too quiet is what you are."

"Come on, you guys. I'm Katara and this is my brother Sokka by the way. Let's get back to our home for now," Katara spoke, looking at Harry and crossing her arms. "Did Long Feng say anything else about these 'plans'?"

"No. He did look like he knew who Appa was and he tricked your bison. He had a whistle shaped like a bison."

Aang's eyes narrowed and a slight glow entered his eyes. Harry raised an eyebrow at him and then nodded. "Whatever he's up to, we'll find out."

"Meet you back at our house," Aang said, shaking out his glider and jumping into the air. "Do you have a glider?"

"Kind of. It's something of mine that turned into a glider a few years ago," Harry explained, bringing out a piece of wood from a pocket and twisting it in a simple upward motion. Aang watched as the stick transformed right in front of his eyes into a glider, the green fabric matching the hint of green in Harry's eyes.

Sokka's eyes widened and Katara raised an eyebrow.

"Whoa. That's so cool! It shrinks!" Sokka exclaimed, turning to Aang and gesturing to Harry's glider. "Can yours do that?"

Aang grinned but shook his head.

"Handy," Sokka remarked, his eyes narrowing. "Can I look at it when we get back?"

"Sure. I don't think… you'll find anything though."

"Momo! Appa!" Aang shook out his own glider and jumped into the air, bending the air currents around him and rose above the homes of the capital of the Earth Kingdom. Toph, Katara and Sokka all clambered up onto Appa's back, gripping onto the bison's fur, and Aang watched as his companion roared again, this time joyful, loud, and rose into the air alongside Aang. Momo made some excited chittering noises and followed them, clearly glad to have his friend back again.

Aang smiled widely as Harry joined him in the air, slipping into the air current, and flying right next to him. His heart pounded within his chest at the thought of another airbender, a new Air Nomad and he grinned wider. He wasn't the last airbender! There was someone to stand next to him, someone who knew what air bending truly was.

Appa roared out over the city of Ba Sing Se and circled around them, his dark eyes glinting in the moonlight. They flew back to where they had been given a home in the Inner Circle, only a few minutes away from where Aang had heard Appa roar, and circled into land in front of the house.

Appa landed first and Harry and Aang followed.

"Aang, this is for you," Harry offered, floating down from Appa's back with a tightly rolled piece of parchment in his hands. "We just left the Eastern Air Temple and there's a guru there, named Pathik. He says he can help you control the Avatar State."

Aang's eyes widened and he turned to look at Katara, who raised an eyebrow.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Katara questioned, as Toph and Sokka slipped off of Appa's back and joined them. "You just… appeared out of nowhere."

"I can give you an oath," Harry offered, shrugging, as he followed them into the house. "Teo trusted me back at the Northern Air Temple and I'm pretty sure Appa trusts me."

Appa stuck his head in through the door and gave him a lick, as if to emphasize the words. Harry's nose wrinkled and he wiped the bison slobber off but the smile on his face said he wasn't annoyed at all. Aang grinned and turned to Katara, gesturing at Appa.

"Appa trusts him. He's a good judge of character, Katara. And he's an airbender," Aang said. "We can trust him."

"Oath?" Toph echoed, walking over to sit down on one of the cushions that they had found in one of the rooms. They all joined her, sitting down in a circle to talk. Appa stayed outside, poking his head in through the windows to keep an eye on them. "What kind of an oath?"

"I… I suppose an oath by words," Harry tried, lifting his shoulders in a minute shrug and joining them. "Us airbenders need to stick together."

"Not to mention the fact that Long Feng probably has ulterior motives," Sokka muttered, pushing a hair behind his ear and back up into its tie. "He clearly wanted Appa for something."

"Who is Long Feng anyway? Does he work for the Earth Kingdom's king?" Harry questioned, looking between the three of them. "He honestly looked like a bad guy to me."

Aang and Toph laughed.

"He's the king's advisor," Aang said, tilting his head in thought. "Sokka, you said you'd been trying to get into see the Earth King. What's the latest update?"

Sokka scowled, shaking his head. "The king's PR person said it would take another month. We don't have another month. The eclipse is in two weeks."

"Why don't we try to see the king now?" Aang asked, looking between his friends and Harry. "We have Appa back. No one would stop us from going in when we have Appa."

Harry grinned a little. "That's certainly true. I saw Appa when he was… hurt. No one wants a feral sky bison on their tail."

Aang grimaced, turning to look at Appa. "I wonder where he was, after he was…"

"Aang, there's no use thinking about what if's," Katara said, sighing and turning to look at Harry. "I suppose it would be good to see the king as soon as possible. We don't have a lot of time before the eclipse anyway."

"Is the eclipse special?" Harry questioned, looking at Sokka and Aang. "I just thought that eclipses were just the moon moving over the sun."

"Firebenders lose their bending during eclipses," Sokka explained, pulling out his boomerang and using it to scratch his back. "Oh, you haven't… You probably don't know about Aang's time limit. We should fill you in if you're joining Team Avatar."

Harry's lips twitched up into a small grin as he nodded. "What time limit?"

"I have to defeat the Fire Lord before the end of summer," Aang offered quietly, his shoulders curling inward and pulling his legs into his chest. "And I have to learn firebending before then. Somehow."

Harry's eyes widened as he met Sokka and Katara's grim eyes. Toph was grimacing and Harry turned back to look at Aang, raising an eyebrow. "The Fire Lord's going to do something at the end of summer, isn't he?"

"Sozin's comet is coming back at the end of summer," Sokka replied, shrugging. "So no pressure!"

Toph snorted and Harry blinked, looking between Sokka, Aang and Katara. "Sozin's comet?"

"It enhances the bending of every fire bender," Aang answered, his face going pale as he met Harry's eyes. "And Ozai is going to complete his invasion."

Harry's stomach roiled at Aang's words and he went pale, dropping his arms to his sides from where they had been on his lap. "That… sucks."

"Yeah," Aang said, propping his chin on his knees.

"I see why the eclipse could come in handy then," Harry finally said, peering up and throughout a window to look out to where the Earth King's palace was. "You want to invade the Fire Nation on the day of the comet."

"Everyone's been keeping us away from the Earth King too," Sokka said, frowning in thought. "And everyone's been acting weird in the city too. No one talks about the war that's going on outside of the walls."

"Well, no time like the present," Harry offered, gesturing to where the palace was. They could only see the hundreds of torches around the palace but they knew it was there, a big, tribute to the Earth Kingdom's monarch. He played with the Elder Wand in his lap, rolled up the cloak and tucked it into a pocket. The ring was still in his hidden bag as Harry didn't quite want to draw that much attention to himself. "If the eclipse is in two weeks…"

Aang nodded, yawned and then stood up. "I know we're all tired but now is as good as any time to force our way into the palace."

Sokka dipped his head in agreement. "Long Feng certainly wouldn't be expecting us so soon after getting Appa back. Let's do it."

Katara nodded as she stood up, reaching out a hand to help Toph up. "Alright. We're doing this then."

Appa roared and Harry followed the others outside the house, watching as Aang floated up onto Appa's back. Toph bended the earth underneath her and had it push her up onto Appa's back while Katara and Sokka ran up Appa's tail. The bison didn't seem to care how people got up onto his back so Harry copied Aang, moving his hands around and let the air carry him up.

Aang grinned at him as Harry gripped onto Appa's fur tightly. "How did you learn how to bend in the first place? Everyone that I knew and grew up with had to learn the bending moves. You just seem to do it naturally."

"I… learned a few moves from what scrolls I could find," Harry explained, shrugging and ducking down into Appa's fur. "I have them in my bag if you want to look at them but then again… You are the Avatar and you grew up an air nomad. For the other moves… I was taught by the last Air Nomad to become an Avatar."

Aang blinked and stared at him. "Yang-chen. She's dead though."

"She is. I talked with her in the spirit world."

"In the…" Aang trailed off, his eyes going wider. "You've gone to the spirit world?"

"I… Later. We'll talk later, alright?" Harry tried, seeing Sokka, Katara and Toph stare at him too. "I would prefer to tell you guys in privacy."

Aang nodded and called out to Appa to take off. "Yip yip!"

Appa groaned and slapped his tail against the stone ground, lifting off into the air. Harry grinned as air curled around them, the slight breeze of the night growing increasingly cooler. Toph had a white knuckled grip on Appa's fur while Katara and Sokka had ducked down into the bison's fur too.

They flew over the city and Harry stretched out with his senses, hoping to get some clue as to where that firebender was. His mate… He wrinkled his nose at the thought. His mate was a firebender. Though… it wasn't like he could sense a lot of firebenders in the capital and that drill outside by the gate had looked defeated. Perhaps it was a soldier from the Fire Nation that the Earth Kingdom police had taken prisoner.

"Hey, when you guys defeated that drill," Harry started, raising his voice to be heard over the wind and looking at Katara.

"Yeah, we did that," Sokka replied, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Did you take any prisoners?" Harry asked, looking between Toph, Katara and Sokka.

Katara blinked but shook her head. "No! The Fire Nation soldiers all died while we stopped the drill and Princess Azula and her team escaped!"

Harry nodded in reply. "Azula is…"

Sokka grimaced and Aang turned around from where he sat on Appa's head.

"Azula is Ozai's daughter," Sokka said, also raising his voice as they gained on the palace. "She's been after us for a few months! Ty Lee and Mai are non benders but you still need to look out for them!"

Katara scowled and her eyes widened a little, perhaps in worry. "Ty Lee does something with her hands when she touches benders so don't let her touch you when we encounter them again. She… restricts or temporarily takes your bending away. You'll know her when you see her."

"Got it. Don't let Ty Lee get within touching distance. I presume Azula's a bender?"

Aang nodded. "She's better than Zuko. She used blue fire when we last fought her!"

"Blue fire! Is that something… worse than just regular fire bending?"

"More intense, sure!"

"Guys! We're here!" Aang exclaimed, pointing down to the beginnings of palace courtyard. The big behemoth of a palace was on the top of a hill and there were many Earth Kingdom soldiers between them and the palace but that wasn't about to stop them. One of the soldiers catapulted a big rock straight up at Appa and Aang flew off and cut it in half with a stroke of earth bending.

Harry grinned and then drew out the elder wand, seeing it shift into a glider out of the corner of his eye, and took off, bending the air under him to sweep three soldiers off their feet. He could see Katara bending the water in the moat that lay around the palace into a big enough wave to crash into more soldiers and Toph bending stone into bowling balls and throwing them into the path of the mounted soldiers.

Harry hovered in the air briefly, watching as Katara bent the water into ice and trapped most of the soldiers. His heart began to race at the sight and he looked at her in awe before a boulder came right at him. He sped away, bending the air around him in a circle and racing straight towards the man who had sent it his way, moving his hands in a circle and drawing the air close, creating a funnel of air and swept the man away into the moat a few feet back.

He flew back to Appa, hovering next to the bison as Aang and Toph bent the stone underneath Appa to slide up the hill to the palace. Sokka threw his boomerang at a soldier who had gotten within their circle, calling out an apology to the guy when the boomerang knocked him off.

"We're not mad with you! We just want the Earth King!"

Harry snorted and swept another two soldiers off their feet, pushing well away from Appa. Within a minute, they had arrived at the top of the courtyard and right at the great door to the palace. Harry swung through the air and bent a circle of air in tight and lobbed it a palace soldier, hitting him and knocking him off and up into the air.

Sokka slid off from Appa's back and led the way, his boomerang having returned and raised in his hands. Aang, Katara and Toph went next and Harry circled into land and followed, willing his wand to shift back and then tucking it in a pocket. He glanced into an open room, poking his head into check and called out that it was clear, scaring a noble lady into hiding under the bed. He could hear screams throughout the palace and watched as Sokka did the same, closing one door very quickly and coming out with a reddened face.

Harry grinned as they made it to a great entry hall, tossing away any soldiers that came at them. Toph laid her hands on the floor of the hall, moving her feet in a bending stance and muttered under her breath.

"The Earth King's that way!" Toph exclaimed, pointing to the north of the palace. "Let's go!"

Appa took up the rear, growling loudly in his throat, and roared as soon as they came to a really heavy looking door.

"That one's obviously where the king is," Katara muttered.

Appa again roared out and charged the door, breaking it down as he collided with the stone. With a large crash, the great door to the throne room fell. Ash and little bits of stone covered the entryway and they all jumped over the remains of the door.

They all ran right up to the throne and stopped, with each bender having a little bit of their element in front of them. Katara had a stream of water hovering between her hands. Toph had a small boulder in front of her. Aang had a pillow of air between his fingers and Harry crossed his arms behind them, his eyes glowing dark for a second or two as they looked up to the Earth King.


	3. Chapter 3

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" King Kuei questioned, as he looked down at them from his throne. Several members of the Dai Li stood between them and the king and several more yet stood behind them, holding earthen handcuffs over them. "You barged in here like a gang of benders ready to destroy the place."

Aang blinked, exchanging glances with Sokka, Katara, Toph and Harry, before throwing up his hands and releasing the air bubble. Katara let the water splash down from her hands, Sokka sheathed his boomerang, Toph let go of the earth and Harry dropped his hands to his sides, raising an eyebrow.

"We're sorry but we just wanted to see you," Sokka explained.

"The eclipse is coming and the firebenders will be helpless," Aang added, glaring at the Earth Kingdom's special police forces. "We don't have too long."

"Firebenders? What did the Fire Nation do that we need to be taking action against them?" Kuei asked, raising his voice a little.

Aang stared up at the king, noting the bear right next to the throne. It was the same bear that they had seen at the great feast they had attended though Aang did do a double take at seeing that it was just a regular bear. The great brown bear was watching them idly but not at all with predatory instincts in its eyes.

"You don't mean that, do you?" Aang asked, tilting his head in confusion. "We're at war with them and have been for the past hundred years."

Kuei blinked, his eyes widening. "That is the most ridiculous claim that I have heard in a while! We're not at war with the Fire Nation."

"But we are!" Toph exclaimed. "The Dai Li have been keeping it from you! They've brainwashed your citizens!"

Kuei looked at them, his eyes narrowing in uncertainty. "My police? I don't think they would do something like that. I don't think you are telling the truth."

"I'm the Avatar," Aang commented, uncurling his shoulders and taking a step forward. "You can trust me."

"The Avatar? But you just broke into my palace and scared everyone inside it."

Sokka groaned and turned to look at Aang, gesturing back where they had come from. "Sir, if you need physical proof that we're at war with the Fire Nation…"

"The drill!" Aang exclaimed, smiling a little.

"The drill?" Kuei repeated, his eyes wide as he looked at all of them. "Surely my own police wouldn't lie to me though. If there was a war going on for the past hundred years… Surely I would know about it."

"Long Feng threatened us at your feast a few weeks ago," Sokka continued. "He said we wouldn't get into see you for a long time."

"This man reminds me a little of Fudge," Harry muttered before shrugging. His eyes lit up briefly as he waved his hands in a wobbly manner, his eyes darkening. "_There is no war in Ba Sing Se. Voldemort isn't back."_

Toph snorted and they all turned to look at him in askance when he mentioned Voldemort.

"Long story," Harry offered, shaking his head in amusement.

"Fudge? Like… the candy?" Toph asked, crossing her arms.

"Uh… not really. Let's… Where is Long Feng anyway?" Harry asked, turning back to look at the king.

"Yeah, where is he?" Sokka questioned, his eyes narrowing. "Where is the captain of the secret police?"

"Uhhh. Men, where is Long Feng?" King Kuei said, turning to look at his aide. "Have him attend me at his convenience."

"Convenience?" Katara whispered faintly. "You should have him brought here."

"What if he is attending super secret police duties?" Kuei asked, lifting his shoulders up in a shrug. "I don't want to disturb him but I do want to see… If you are telling the truth… The drill."

Aang nodded and breathed a sigh of relief, hearing the members of the Dai Li back off. The others filed into flank the king as he stood up from his throne.

"We shall take the bus," King Kuei remarked, nodding to himself. "If this drill really is there… Have Long Feng brought to the wall."

Aang led the way out of the throne room and Appa turned and loped back through the giant hole in the wall they had left.

* * *

"I'm riding on Appa," Aang said as they reached the perimeter of the palace.

"We really need a new saddle for him," Toph remarked, crossing her arms. "I don't like free riding. I'll go with the king."

"We'll go too," Sokka said, looking at the king and his group of Dai Li police officers. "The Dai Li give me the creeps."

"They feel that way to me too," Harry offered, his eyes narrowed. "I'll join you, Aang. I don't mind riding or flying without anything to catch me."

Aang dipped his head in a nod and jumped up onto Appa's back, a grin on his face.

They both watched as the king stepped aboard the bus, joining other earth kingdom nobles. Four members of the Dai Li secret police joined the king and they kept everyone at a spear's distance, looking at everything and everyone like they posed a threat.

Katara, Sokka and Toph filed in behind them and Harry could see that Katara had a hand on the canteen of water she carried with her.

Harry waved to them and then floated up onto Appa's back, joining Aang as the sky bison beneath them rose up into the air. Harry lightly gripped Appa's fur as they flew, enjoying the wind in his face. Memories of racing brooms flew through his mind as Appa flew over the Inner circle of the city and then the Middle Circle and finally the Outer circle. The Outer Circle was full of farms and gardens, full of poorer looking buildings too. They definitely didn't look a thing like the buildings and homes that were in the Inner Circle.

Aang turned to look at him, as Appa landed on the wall, and met his eyes. The bus carrying the king came to a stop at the wall and Harry idly watched as the passengers filed out.

Harry met the younger boy's eyes and smiled a little, hopefully reassuring. "Hey, would you mind teaching me that move I saw earlier? The one where you rode on a ball of air? I don't know that one."

Aang grinned, his eyes lighting up, and he nodded. "Sure! I just hope we can convince the king. What did you mean when you said he reminded you of… fudge?"

"I… Do airbenders believe in reincarnation?" Harry finally asked, falling into step with Aang as they walked towards where the king and their other friends were. Sokka looked amused by something, his narrowed. "Though of course they do. The Avatar spirit reincarnates. Of course. I just mean… generally speaking."

Aang blinked and looked at him funny. "Yes. The elders definitely believed in it."

"Well… I died in one world… and was reborn in this one as an airbender," Harry finally offered, wincing at his not very specific explanation.

Aang's eyes narrowed before he nodded. "Yeah, I think I understand. Though… a different world?"

"Not this one. It was a world that didn't have benders," Harry explained, shrugging in thought. "And it didn't have the secondary genders that this one has but that's another story. No alphas, no betas, and no omegas and no benders. There were… wizards and witches though and that was what I was. A wizard."

"Wizard?"

"Tell you later?"

"Yeah and I'll teach you that move."

"Sounds good."

* * *

The king stared down at the drill as Aang, Toph, Katara, Sokka and Harry watched, his eyes widening. They were soon joined by more Dai Li guards and Long Feng himself and the man was clearly uncomfortable, his shoulders curled and his arms clasped together in front of him.

"Your Majesty, I can explain. This is just construction at work," Long Feng remarked, his voice steady and solemn. "The wall needs repair from time to time."

"Then why is there a Fire Nation insignia on it?" King Kuei asked, his eyes narrowing.

Long Feng spluttered. "We bought supplies from them. Sometimes we just don't have what we need locally."

"I thought our industries were doing well. We shouldn't have needed to buy supplies from anywhere else. I don't… have enough proof to deny the charges against you, Long Feng. Is there anything else?"

"The Dai Li have got to have a headquarters around here," Sokka remarked. "They've been brainwashing citizens and hiding the war from you. The Fire Nation is going to keep invading countries and wants to take Ba Sing Se."

"Fire Lord Sozin wiped out the airbenders," Aang continued before he closed his eyes, reopening them a minute later. "Harry and I are the only ones left of the Air Nomads. Ozai wants to finish the war and I can't let him continue. The eclipse-"

"The Day of Black Sun," Sokka interrupted, his eyes lighting up at the thought.

Aang grinned a little at Sokka's words. "The Day of Black Sun will have them helpless and we can invade the Fire Nation and stop the Fire Lord."

"Your Majesty, this is just a group of anarchists," Long Feng argued, gesturing at them all. "They mean to depose you."

"That wasn't what we meant at all!" Toph yelled, glaring at Long Feng and pointing at him. "He was going to take Appa!"

"Yeah, that too," Harry said, wrinkling his nose. "Appa and I were flying into the city when he blew a whistle that only Appa heard and would have taken us prisoner."

Appa growled from where he was behind them. Aang grimaced and walked over to Appa's side, tangling his fingers into the sky bison's fur. "Why would Long Feng want to take Appa prisoner if not to delay us?"

"I don't know if there is even a legitimate reason for Long Feng to want Appa anyway," Harry added. "Why would he need a sky bison?"

King Kuei stared at them, looked at Appa more closely for a minute before turning to Long Feng. "That does it. Men, take Long Feng into custody. I think I believe the Avatar. So there really is a war going on that I don't know about?"

They all nodded, watching as the men of the Dai Li walked over to group around Long Feng. One pulled out earthen handcuffs and attached them to Long Feng's wrists before marching the man off, to prison hopefully.

"Can I ride Appa on the way back to the palace?" King Kuei questioned, his eyes lighting up with a hopeful glance at them.

* * *

"That does it then. I will give my full support to this venture," King Kuei said, gesturing to the map in front of them. "You will have the support of the Earth Kingdom when you take the Fire Nation capital."

Aang smiled and Sokka whooped in victory. Toph grinned and Harry nodded, idly taking in the map. The Fire Nation lay to the west of the Southern Water Tribe, somewhere Harry hadn't even been to yet. It consisted of islands and the capital city lay on the biggest island and curled around a bay.

"Aang, you need to go visit that guru that Harry met," Katara remarked, her eyes tracing over the map as some Earth Kingdom generals started to file into the room. She turned to him, raised an eyebrow. "You said you trusted Guru Pathik?"

"Yeah. He knew of me and Aang even before I mentioned the Avatar. He also said he knew some of the Air Nomads before the war," Harry said, picturing the Guru in his mind. "I trust him. He knew that I was going to find you."

"I guess I do need to learn how to control the Avatar State," Aang said, shrugging. "I don't… The last few times…"

"You were stressed the last few times you entered the Avatar State," Katara replied. "I didn't like seeing you that way, Aang."

"Alright. I'll go. What about you guys?"

"The letters that Long Feng had in his office… One said that some Water Tribe ships had been spotted. It might be where Dad is," Sokka said, reaching up a hand to scratch his neck. "Katara?"

"Someone should stay here to coordinate the invasion," Katara remarked, gesturing to the talking generals. "Toph… there's a letter here from your parents."

Toph stared at her and rocked back on the heels of her feet, moving her bare feet around slowly. "What do they say?"

"They want to see you in their home in the city," Katara answered. "They say they just want their daughter back and don't care about what you're doing."

Toph opened her mouth, closed it and then reopened her mouth. "They want me back?"

"It's what they say in the letter," Katara said, as she read the parchment.

"I'll stay too, assuming you don't need me with you to go to the Eastern Air temple," Harry said, glancing out at the city behind them. "There's something I want to investigate here."

"Something wrong?" Aang asked, looking at him and then looking down at the map. "Long Feng's been put away."

"No… At least I don't think so," Harry replied, pondering the scent that had stayed in his nose for the last few days since he had entered this city. "I don't… It's just this peculiar scent that's been in my nose for the past few days. An omega… I don't know."

"You're an alpha, right?" Aang asked, as Toph, Katara and Sokka turned to look at him.

"Yeah. Nothing to worry about right now but… I still want to check it out."

"Be careful."

Harry nodded. "You be careful too. We'll hold the fort here."

* * *

Katara watched as Aang and Sokka flew off on Appa and watched as Toph took a cart towards where her parents were before turning to look at Harry, who stood beside her. The Earth Kingdom Generals were discussing their plans for the invasion over the map, without the king and the sun was shining over their heads.

The balcony they were on was to the left of the palace, the home of the Earth Kingdom military. It was two weeks until the Day of Black Sun as Sokka had started calling it and she felt strangely hopeful. Perhaps they would stop the Fire Lord before he finished his invasion of the Earth Kingdom and the Water tribes.

"So… what's the deal with Toph's parents?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow and joining her at the railing. "You guys seemed a little apprehensive."

"They didn't want her to join us," Katara started, sighing. "They thought she was just their young, blind daughter who could just do some basic earth bending."

"But she's clearly more than just… that."

"She fought in an Earth bending competition," Katara remarked, smiling a little. "And won I guess multiple times."

Harry's lips twitched up into a small grin at the thought. "She's very impressive from what I've seen and she taught Aang earthbending?"

"Yes. She did. We… didn't get along at first since this is the first time she's been away from her parents at all but having another girl in the group has been nice," Katara offered, shrugging. "Do you have someone you go to for your ruts?"

Harry slowly shook his head. "Not at the Air temple I didn't. There weren't… From what I learned from Avatar Yangchen, there weren't a lot of Air Nomad alphas. But I've been with three people… I suppose I should find someone discreet now, that I'm away from the temple. Do you…"

"No."

Harry nodded idly and looked out into the city, enjoying the slight breeze that swept through the open balcony. "You think Toph's parents aren't… telling the truth in that letter?"

Katara let out a noise of consideration and then shook her head, brushing an errant strand of hair back behind her ear. "No. But I won't stop Toph from seeing them again. They're her parents."

"Yeah. Parents."

"Who were your parents?" Katara questioned, turning to look at him with narrowed eyes.

"They were refugees from the war. No one special but just… refugees. They gave birth to me in the temple."

"And you're the first airbender born in a hundred years," Katara said, her eyes wide with awe. "How… how is that possible?"

"I don't know. I have suspicions but I don't know if any of them are right. Guru Pathik did validate a few of them but… I don't know. Perhaps it's just where my soul wanted to go."


	4. Chapter 4

Harry flew from rooftop to rooftop, peering down at the varied citizens of the Earth Kingdom from above. All of them stared up at him, if they saw him, with wide eyes. Some of them even pointed at him and yelled that he was the Avatar. He passed them by as he flew, ignoring them for the moment as he searched, gliding on the slight breeze with his glider.

He started in the outer circle of the city, noticing the vivid difference in class. It seemed that the city of Ba Sing Se was separated by the rings. The poor lived in the outer circle and as one traveled to the inner circle, the wealth was obvious.

It was a cloudless day and beautiful and still there was a hint of that smell, of smoke and heat on the wind. Harry didn't know if it was because he was an airbender or not but he could smell it vividly in the wind. And he knew it wasn't from the battle at the drill a few days ago. Katara had told him of the various threats they faced, the last of which was the prince and princess of the Fire Nation. Zuko and Azula. Though Azula more than Zuko for the most part.

Princess Azula traveled with two other young women, neither of which were benders, but they were deadly on their own. Mai and Ty Lee. He had been told to stay away from Ty Lee if he ever encountered her and Katara had reinforced that notion. She had told him of how it had felt to get her bending frozen by the girl, to be rendered helpless like that.

Harry shrugged at his thoughts and moved on, into the middle circle, and landed in the middle of a square, closing down his glider. Everyone gawked at him, pointing and yelling excitedly about the Avatar. He winced at the shouts, knowing that before he had come along, Aang had been the very last Air Bender or Air Nomad.

And he had come along but they were still only two and Harry roughly knew of the traditions of the old Air nomads but he didn't know how to practice those beliefs or traditions. He didn't know anything of what a daily Air nomad's life looked like before the Fire Nation committed genocide a hundred years ago.

He had taken to wearing similar clothing to what Aang wore, a beige sash over his shoulder and a yellow-red tunic underneath it.

"I'm not the Avatar," Harry said, raising his voice a little and putting just a hint of old magic under it. His glider glowed subtly before going quiet and the people around him blinked, not knowing what to make of him. "I am an air bender though."

People started to trail out of the tea shop across the street to look at him and Harry froze for a second before shrugging.

"We thought there were no other air benders left."

"It's just the two of us," Harry remarked, looking for the person who had spoken. They all looked a little fearful as they stood in the crowd, as people began to ask more and more questions.

"How do you fly? Do you know the Avatar? Are you-"

"Be quiet, idiot. The Dai Li will hear us," one of the older women said, gesturing to the alleyways and corners of the streets. "We can't talk about the war."

Harry tilted his head in confusion, starting to connect the dots and not liking what he was seeing. "The Dai Li don't want people talking about the war?"

"They didn't want the king knowing there was a war."

"So Long Feng had a puppet king then. That's why he wanted to keep the king in the dark," Harry muttered, holding onto his glider tighter. "So you all know there's a war going on. You just won't talk about it for fear of the Dai Li."

Everyone nodded.

Harry grimaced and turned around, taking in the streets around him. Borrowed memories flashed through his mind, the remembered smell of burning flesh from the Air temple.

"Long Feng has been imprisoned," Harry finally remarked, extending his glider and leaping up into the air, bending the currents around him. "The Dai Li are no longer in charge."

He flew up into the sky, above the homes and tea shops, and flew over the middle circle to the inner circle. Harry glanced over to the palace and sighed, not wanting to engage in politics right now at least. The generals were still arguing over their plan to invade the Fire Nation on the Day of the Black sun and Katara hadn't been able to get in a word otherwise, even though she was a master water bender. He landed a few blocks away from the palace and right in front of the newest tea shop, suddenly feeling his dry throat.

The Jasmine Dragon.

Harry blinked up at the signage for the tea shop, taking in the green dragon that wove itself between the letters. He followed the throngs of people heading into the shop and took a seat idly, glancing down at the menu on the table in front of him. There were lots of different kinds of tea on the menu and only one drew his attention.

People chatted around him excitedly and he heard snippets of conversation, varying from people's daily schedules to wondering if this tea shop would stay. Apparently this shop was new, or at least new to the inner circle. He heard one person mention that the owner of the shop was from the middle circle, having taken a business offer to start his own business here.

"What can I get you?"

Harry startled at the low voice and inhaled smoke and heat and _flame_. He looked up at the other young man who had spoken, seeing a scar on the left side of his face and golden eyes. Harry blinked even as his heart began to race within his chest, as sweat dripped down his back. Warmth radiated from the teenager who looked to be the same age as himself, around 17 or 18 years old.

And very much omega if Harry was right. The teenager blinked, his eyes going wide as all the blood left his face in seconds.

"How… You're an…"

Harry was up and out of his chair, arms already out to catch the young man as his knees buckled. The teenager's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out, going limp in Harry's arms. People yelped around them and he heard someone yell over, an older man who was clearly the owner, a kettle in his hands. A kettle that had just been taken off the stove. A kettle that should have been boiling hot and yet the man wasn't wearing gloves on his hands.

* * *

"You're his uncle?"

"Iroh. And what would your name be?"

Harry took in the sight in front of him, still cradling the other boy in his arms. He peered down at the boy, taking in the scar that covered his left eye in a circle. It had obviously been a bad burn, one that had left a scar to this day, and he wondered where it had come from. Obviously his uncle was a firebender but was the boy a firebender?

"Haran. You can call me Harry."

He followed where Iroh gestured, heading to the kitchen that lay behind a closed door. The teenager in his arms groaned and curled into him even in unconsciousness. Harry held him tighter, one arm under his knees and one around his shoulder.

"He's warm," Harry whispered as Iroh followed him back into the kitchen.

"You wear the clothing of an air bender," Iroh commented, as they stepped through the swinging door and into the kitchen and privacy. "And yet you are not the Avatar."

Harry looked around the kitchen, the wide open space appealing in its open air walls. There was a small cot in the back and he looked over to Iroh, who nodded. "What's his name? Now that I know yours."

Harry lowered the teenager down to the cot slowly, feeling the urge to stay with him. He could feel Iroh's gaze on them both and he turned back to the older man, raising an eyebrow.

Iroh studied him, his hands free. Harry stared back and then raised his hands, twirling his hands around and around. A small tornado grew on his palm, as he sucked up air from around the room. He kept it on his palm, small enough to easily control, and watched as Iroh's eyes widened and then narrowed.

He dropped the air after a minute, not wanting to draw all of the air out of the room. Dust fell back to the floor and a whimper from the other teenager drew his attention again.

"His name is Zuko. He's my nephew. How is this possible? Avatar Aang is the only air bender left."

Harry paused as visible sweat formed on… Zuko's forehead and he twirled his hands again, wiggling his fingers to gather a small amount of air. He waved his hands over Zuko and watched as the sweat dried off, as a soft breeze wove through the omega's black hair.

"We don't know how it happened either," Harry finally answered, turning around to look at Iroh. "You are Iroh of the Fire Nation, aren't you? Aang and Toph think highly of you."

Iroh smiled. "Aang is a wise kid and already a wise Avatar."

"I think so too. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders," Harry commented as he turned to look down at Zuko. "Why are you two in Ba Sing Se?"

"We are refugees just like any of the common folk in the outer circle," Iroh answered, as he peeked out into the shop. "The Fire Nation has hurt so many people."

"Including him?" Harry asked, gesturing to Zuko.

"I shall let him answer that question," Iroh offered, dipping his head in a nod. "May I trust you to look after him?"

"Uh… I had other things to do but yes. I'll see that he's alright. You have tea to make."

Iroh's smile widened and his eyes twinkled, reminding Harry a little bit of Dumbledore. But… Iroh was more forthcoming than Harry's other mentor in his first life.

"My parents were refugees too," Harry explained, hesitant but willing to trust Katara and Toph's words. Katara had said something about the moon and something else about the Northern Water kingdom but Harry hadn't really understood that. "I was born in the Northern Air Temple 17 years ago."

Iroh looked at him and then bowed from the waist. "The Fire Nation has done much to hurt your people. I apologize greatly for the killing and genocide of the Air Nomads."

Harry swallowed but nodded back. "I suspect Aang would welcome an apology more than I. I don't know anything of what life was like back before the Fire Nation attacked. Aang lived with his people for several years before he lost everything."

Iroh looked at him, as if trying to find something in his face, before he nodded again. "The Air Nomads were great people. Perhaps you could help Zuko when he wakes."


	5. Chapter 5

Zuko blinked awake slowly, rubbing his face and looked up into the face of the other teen boy. The teen who was clothed in similar clothes to what the Avatar wore when Zuko had caught up to him in the past. Monk's robes in yellow and gold. The boy was sitting cross legged in front of him, hands sitting on his knees in a meditative pose.

The teen's eyes were grey and his hair was dark and messy, falling down to his shoulders. He was gazing down at Zuko with narrowed eyes that were not angry or disappointed or scared. Zuko took a deep breath and sat up to a faint scent of a soft summer breeze, with a tiny hint of the kind of breeze that brought a storm with it. And underneath it was definitely _alpha _but not… like Ozai. This teen was not imposing and not big, like Ozai was, not like Zhao or any of the other generals that served the Fire Lord, but Zuko still moved slowly, lowering his shoulders and curling inward unconsciously, not wanting to attract more attention than he already had.

"What happened?" Zuko exclaimed, clenching his fingers tightly and wrapping his arms around himself. Sparks of flame lingered on his fingertips and he took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly. He caught the other boy's look as they both watched the flames extinguish themselves but there was no comment otherwise.

"You fainted."

"Yes, I know that. What did you do to me? Who are you?"

"My name's Haran but you can call me Harry. And I did nothing to you except carry you back here. Your uncle filled me in on your identities. I don't plan on giving your presence away to the Earth Kingdom authorities or to my friends. Don't worry."

Zuko stared up at Harry, his eyes narrowing and his heart thumping loudly in his chest. Sweat formed on his forehead and he swallowed. "Why do you smell of a breeze?"

"I'm an airbender."

"Prove it."

Harry blinked, narrowed his eyes and studied him for a moment. Zuko stared back, glaring at the other teenager, wondering what Harry was seeing on his face and hoping it wasn't weakness. Ozai had always despised weakness and Zuko had always learned to hide. When he had presented as omega, his father had not even looked him in the eyes since. Being omega was weakness, he had said. Especially for one of the royal family.

The clearing of a throat drew him out of his thoughts and he shivered at the look Harry gave him, his grey eyes narrowed with what almost looked like concern. Zuko scowled and crossed his arms.

"You're not really an airbender. Get out."

Harry frowned then extended his arms outward and down. Air circled around their corner of the room and Zuko's breath caught as he watched as Harry floated upward a little, hovered for a second and then floated back down.

"There are other airbenders in the world? I thought my grandfather wiped the Air nomads out."

"Yes, your grandfather committed genocide. The Air Nomads were massacred all because the Avatar was going to reincarnate to their nation next. That's true. I was born 17 years ago to a family of refugees that were living in an Air nomad temple."

"Genocide? The Air nomads had an army. They initiated the battle and fought back."

Harry stared at him, blinked once, twice, his eyes narrowing in thought. "You really believe that?"

"I know it. Now get out of here. I don't want your pity."

"Zuko, it's not pity."

Zuko stared at the other teen and swallowed. "You caught me when I fainted. That's all. Thank you."

Harry looked at him as if he was searching for something but Zuko couldn't tell what or if he found it. The boy across from him stood up and shook out his robes, breathing steadily. "I don't know your history with Aang and the others and I don't know if you've ever been to an Air nomad temple now but there is absolutely no evidence of them having an army. I grew up in one of their temples and their bones and bodies were just left where they died. Their… entire culture was destroyed in a week. Appa is the last sky bison.

How would you feel if someone more powerful than the fire nation attacked and utterly destroyed you and your culture? How would you feel to be the last fire bender? The last one that knew of your traditions and art and lives?"

The stick that Harry gripped in his left hand appeared to glow faintly, a dim white light that encompassed the form of the walking stick. Zuko figured the walking stick to be like Aang's glider, hiding cloth wings.

Zuko stared up at him and watched as Harry turned around and walked towards one of the windows. They were on the second floor of his uncle's new tea shop but surely Harry wasn't planning on…

"You remind me of someone from a long time ago," Harry finally remarked quietly. "He was raised to believe certain things, like you. Certain things that were entirely untrue. At least you have your uncle. Draco had no one in his corner. It's one of the things I regret now. We were both young and stupid. Be careful, Prince Zuko."

Harry turned to face the window, nudged the glass open and then leapt out of the window. Zuko's eyes widened and he hurriedly stood up, swaying a little bit as he ran over to look.

The airbender fell with the air and then pulled up at the last minute, a blinding smile on his face as he shook out his glider and flew.

* * *

"Uncle?"

"Hmm?" Iroh turned around as he was cleaning up the tea shop, the night sky outside bright with stars.

Zuko let out a noise of consideration and then frowned. "I heard something from someone. Did the Air Nomads have an army when Sozin attacked them?"

Iroh raised an eyebrow and then shook his head, a little hint of a smile on his face. "No. They did not, nephew. Where did you hear that?"

"It's what we were taught in school," Zuko offered, shrugging. "Then… I heard differently from… someone."

Iroh sighed. "Of course they teach you that. That is what your father and grandfather and great grandfather want everyone to think. Do you remember when you and I visited all the temples, at the beginning of your exile?"

"Yeah, I wanted to see if there was any sign of the Avatar. We found nothing but bodies."

"What kind of bodies?" Iroh questioned, his eyes pained at the words but forging on nonetheless.

Zuko turned and glanced out through the window of the shop, seeing the wealthy Inner circle of Ba Sing Se around them. "Children. Women. Elderly people. The bodies of their army would have been on the frontlines though. The Air Nomads attacked first after all."

Iroh slowly shook his head. "They did not attack first. "

"What do you mean? They ambushed our army and attacked," Zuko argued, looking back at his uncle after a few minutes.

Iroh let out a noise and sighed. "Zuko, what you were taught was wrong. Sozin wanted to kill the new Avatar after Roku died and so attacked the Air Nomads, killing every single person in each temple. The Avatar was the only one to escape. Aang was the only one to escape and up until now was thought to be the only airbender left."

Zuko scowled and walked over to the door that led down to the tea shop, leaving in a huff. Iroh watched him go and then took a deep breath, pondering Zuko's words. His nephew was so tied up under Ozai's influence that he might never… He knew that presenting as omega would have worsened Ozai's anger and both Azula and Zuko thought that alphas were better. Under Ozai, the Fire Nation had seen more omegas bound into marriages within a year of presenting.

It wouldn't have been seen proper to do anything else. Under Ozai, same sex marriages and relationships were illegal. Schools were taught that the Fire Lord was perfect, that there was nothing wrong with world domination or genocide. Nothing wrong with forcing omegas into marriages to control them. And nothing wrong with considering omegas inferior, walking wombs regardless of gender.

Iroh shuddered and for once, he was glad that Zuko had gotten banished, despite the circumstances. Zuko probably would have been married off to one of the Fire Nation generals, perhaps Zhao, and he flinched at the thought.

He had seen the look on Haran's… or Harry's face when he had touched Zuko to pick the teen up. And Harry had obviously told Zuko something to make him ask Iroh about the Air Nomads. Hopefully, it would be enough to nudge his nephew into considering new ideas, ideas outside of what the Fire Lord thought 'right'.

He knew that the Air Nomads had always practiced freedom, freedom to love whoever, be whoever. The peoples of the Water Tribes did the same except in Iroh's experiences, they kept their relationships to themselves. The Earth Kingdom itself… Iroh knew more about their opinions on same sex relationships than the other nations, courtesy of laying siege to it years ago.

The Earth Kingdom was rigid, unbending like the material they bent. They considered same sex relationships foreign and at least had trouble accepting them.

"Uncle, there are men from the palace here!"

Iroh raised an eyebrow and then walked out of their kitchen and down the stairs to their shop, seeing Zuko talking with two men and holding a scroll.

"What is it?"

"The Earth King wants to taste your tea," Zuko remarked, brushing some of his hair out of his face.

Iroh's eyes widened and he slowly grinned. "That's wonderful! The Earth King likes my tea!"

Zuko raised an eyebrow but nodded otherwise. "We'll go."

The two secretaries dipped their heads in a nod. "Alright. He expects you tomorrow morning at 10."

* * *

"Katara! What's wrong?"

"Prince Zuko and his uncle are here! In the city! We've got to let the Earth King know!" Katara exclaimed, as Momo sat on her shoulder and chittered anxiously. "Come on!"

Harry's eyes widened only a little bit, as he stood up in the center of their living room. The late afternoon sun shined through the windows and its warmth invaded the room as the door opened at Katara's arrival. "I know."

Katara stopped just as she was about to tug him out the door. "What?"

"I know they're here. Iroh owns the Jasmine Dragon," Harry offered, shrugging and watching as Momo took flight. The little winged lemur flew up from Katara's shoulder and landed on his, making him smile. He reached out a finger and Momo tilted his head over to sniff him.

"You knew and you didn't tell us?"

"I only found out a few days ago," Harry replied, seeing Katara's eyes narrow. "They're not causing trouble."

"That we know of," Katara said, grimacing. "We have to warn the Earth King regardless. Princess Azula could be on her way. Besides, Suki's here too. She'll help. Zuko could be planning on taking the city from the inside out."

"Have you seen Zuko visit the palace? I think they're refugees," Harry argued. "They're running too."

Katara scowled. "Zuko might be running but he still wants to capture Aang and I won't let that happen."

"I won't let it happen either. I'm not on the Fire Lord's side here, just so you know."

"I know that. Aang trusts you easily enough though."

"I'd be suspicious of me too. A teenager walking into your group and telling you guys Aang is not the last airbender. I get it. Could we just keep an eye on them? Tell the Earth King, definitely, but don't do anything regardless."

Katara sighed as she stared at him before nodding. "I'm sorry. I'm just… worried."

Harry nodded. "From the way you talk about Azula and the other two girls… I'd be worried too. They… don't particularly sound fun to deal with."

Katara snorted. "That's an understatement. Let's go see the king."

Harry smiled and let Katara lead the way, as they ran from their borrowed apartment over to the palace.

* * *

"Suki! Thank goodness you're here! Something terrible is going on! The Fire Nation is here and infiltrated the city! We just saw Prince Zuko and his uncle!"

Harry looked over at the three young women and the Earth king throne behind them. Suki and the two Kyoshi warriors behind her were painted and dressed in the garb of Avatar Kyoshi, with fans at their belts.

"We have to tell the Earth king right away," Katara finished, as they stopped a few feet away from the Kyoshi warriors.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be sure to let him know," Suki remarked in a low voice.

Suki stood up and came into the light and Katara stiffened. Momo screeched loudly and took flight from Katara's shoulder.

"Katara? What's…"

"Azula! Move!"

Harry froze and saw Katara reach for her canteen of water at her waist. He wove his hands around and bent the air around them, seeing the other two young women stand up. One of them had knives at her belt while the other… cartwheeled and leapt forward. He blinked and backed up, hearing and feeling Katara bending water before-

Ty Lee leapt and wheeled, punching out with her fingers and pinched Katara's neck before turning towards him. Harry quickly wheeled about and bent air around him, circling it in a funnel and blasting it at the three women. His glider slash wand was still back in their borrowed apartment so he couldn't use it. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Katara fall, her water falling to the ground, useless.

"What is this? Who are you?"

Azula bent blue fire towards him even as Mai threw a knife at him. He bent air right at the knife, sending it veering away to land in one of the stone pillars. He stood in front of Katara as the three women surrounded them, shooing Momo away, and bending air right at Ty Lee, hoping to keep her away from him and Katara.

Harry bent and moved quickly, bending a whirlwind of air around the two of them as a shield. The hum and vibrations of the air tunnel lit up in his mind and ears, as if it was music that only he could hear. He felt the trembling of the air currents around him on the tops of his hair, felt it touch the air on his arms as it stood upright.

Ty Lee was blown backward and the knives that Mai sent after him were blown back. The flames that Azula sent his way were sucked into the air tunnel and fanned into even bigger flames as it greedily ate his air. Harry sucked in a sharp breath, breaking out in coughs, and then stopped bending, seeing fire invade his sight and almost touch Katara.

The pinch to his shoulders and neck almost came as a surprise but not quite. Blackness ate his vision and he passed out, as Azula stalked forward, not one hair out of place.

"Another airbender? I can't wait until father hears about this," Azula remarked, smirking in glee. "The Avatar would have to surrender to us to rescue him."

* * *

Harry woke up to a gleaming cavern, surrounded by rocks and glowing green crystals. He rubbed his eyes open and glanced around, hoping… "Katara!"

He shuffled over and patted her shoulder, feeling her pulse. "Katara! Wake up!"

Katara opened drowsy eyes as she peered up at him. "What? What happened?"

"Azula, Mai and Ty Lee happened. They've… taken control," Harry said, grimacing as he remembered Azula's last words. "Aang wouldn't give himself up to rescue me, would he?"

Katara flinched as she sat up and Harry withdrew his hands. "He would. You're an air bender. Where are we?"

"I don't know," Harry replied, looking cautiously around them. "Underground definitely. Hopefully somewhere still in the city."

Katara scowled and slowly stood up, beginning to pace around the small prison cell.

"I wonder if this was originally a prison cell," Harry said, raising an eyebrow. "It's pretty."

Katara's lips twitched up into a small, pained smile. "It is. I can feel water close by but not… I can't bend from this far away, especially with water I can't see. And you don't have your glider. You can't fly us up there."

Harry looked up to where Katara was pointing, up to what looked like a vent of some sort. "It's probably locked too and I'm not an earthbender or a metal bender. Well…"

"Now we wait," Katara remarked, pushing her hair out of her face. Some strands of it had come loose in the fight and presumably they had been dragged down here. Harry had scrapes and tears in his outfit, some bloody bruises showing through gaps in material. His clothing was also slightly singed, courtesy of Azula.

"Now we wait," Harry agreed, sitting back down and placing his palms down on his knees. "I don't know if going into the spirit world would help but I could try."

Katara's eyes widened and then shook her head. "Aang would have to be in the spirit world at the same time. I think. You can go into the spirit world?"

"I think all air benders could," Harry remarked, watching her pace. "Isn't just the Avatar."

Katara nodded, her hands reaching down to her belt. "I still have the spirit water from the north pole. At least there's that."

"Spirit water?"

"It's water from the spirit oasis at the Northern pole," Katara explained, tracing some of the green crystals as she passed them. "The oasis was where the Moon spirit lived."

"You guys are going to have to tell me about the Northern pole sometime," Harry remarked, smiling a little. "It sounds beautiful."

Katara smiled wistfully as she finally came over to sit down across from him. "We have the time now."

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

The rumbling of the vent above them drew both of their gazes upward as they stood up. It had been at the least, 12 hours since they had been captured, but Harry wasn't sure if it was any longer. Harry wove the air around him up, like a spear, only for it to hit a rock platform. The Dai Li gazed down at them and then shoved a body through the opening.

Harry backed up, his arms at his sides, and stood next to Katara, peering at the new arrival with some apprehension. That smell… "Zuko."

Katara blinked, met his eyes, and then swallowed as they both watched Zuko shakily stand up. Zuko's eyes widened and he backed up, watching the both of them intently.

"You!" Zuko shouted, pointing at Katara. He didn't in any way acknowledge Harry, just kept his eyes on Katara, as if acknowledging Harry would be acknowledging the fact that Zuko passed out in front of him, that they had… connected in the tea shop.

Katara scowled and didn't say anything. Harry stared at Zuko and then looked to Katara, looking between the two of them and then sighed.


End file.
